2. The Pursuit of Land
Land meant wealth and power to Americans.
Settlers moved westward into lands claimed by
Creeks and Cherokee.
Indian lands were acquired through negotiated
treaties .
3. Headright system-1782
Every head of a household
had a right to land.
200 acres for the head of a
household.
50 acres for each family
member including slaves.
Maximum of 1,000 acres.
Revolutionary War vets
were encouraged to settle
in Georgia.
4. A Change in Agriculture- 1800s
Most land was distributed
among wealthy white men.
Plantations replaced
smaller farms in the soil
rich Piedmont region.
Tobacco and cotton
became the major crops.
5. Left Side Assignment
Math Questions
1. You are the head of a household with a
spouse, four children, and three slaves. How
many acres of land are you entitled to?
2. You are the head of a household with a
spouse, your elderly mother and eight children.
How many acres of land are you entitled to?
3. You are the head of a household with a
spouse, four children and 15 slaves. How many
acres of land are you entitled to?
7. The Yazoo Land Fraud - 1795
Georgia wanted to settle its western lands to
encourage economic growth.
That included land near the Yazoo River in what is
now Mississippi.
Legislators were bribed by land companies to sell the
land below its real value.
Nearly 35 million acres were “sold” to 4 private land
companies at 2 cents/ acre
The land was then sold to civilians for huge profits.
When the bribes were discovered the legislators were
voted out of office.
9. The Compact of 1802
The United States government purchased all of
Georgia’s western lands to help Georgia pay off
its debts from the Yazoo Land Fraud.
Its Western border became the Chattahoochee
River.
The U.S. also agreed to remove all Indians from
Georgia when needed.
The Yazoo Land Fraud indirectly led to the Trail
of Tears.
10. Land Lottery 1805-1833
A series of lotteries took
place to sell land.
Ordinary Georgians could
now buy larger amounts
of land at a cheap price.
A lottery was restricted to
white men, orphans, and
widows.
Land was sold on an
average at 7 cents / acre.
11. The Cotton Gin- 1794
Eli Whitney was working at the Mulberry Grove
Plantation near Savannah.
He watched slaves separate seeds from the cotton by
hand.
He invented the cotton gin, a machine that could clean
cotton quickly.
Cotton became the largest crop grown in the South.
13. Rise of Slavery in Georgia
In 1790 there were 30,000
slaves working on coastal
rice plantations.
The land lottery opened
large areas of the Piedmont
for agriculture.
With the access of land and
the invention of the cotton
gin, by 1860 there were
nearly 500,000 slaves
working Georgia’s fields.
15. Left side Assignment
How did the invention of the cotton gin and
the use of the land lottery have an impact
on cotton production and the slave
population in Georgia in the early 1800s?
16. Canals
Now that Georgia was
producing so many
products (cash crops)
they needed a cheap and
fast form of transportation.
Canals were built in the
early 1800s to make
shipping goods to markets
quicker and cheaper.
They were soon
replaced by railroads in
the mid 1800s.
20. Louisville,GA
They moved it again in
1796 to a new town
called Louisville (named
for King Louis of France).
Why would we want to
honor the King of
France?
Louisville was considered
a good compromise
location between
Savannah and Augusta.
21. Milledgeville, GA
Due to continued
western expansion
and an outbreak of
malaria in
Louisville the
capital was moved
to Milledgeville
from 1804 - 1868
22. Atlanta, GA
Eventually the state
capital was moved to
Atlanta Georgia.
Atlanta started as a
railroad hub called
Terminus, later called
Marthasville, and
finally renamed as
Atlanta.
23. University of
Georgia
Lyman Hall suggested creating
a higher system of learning
Abraham Baldwin (first
president of UGA) believed it
was a government’s duty to
help educate everyone.
Georgia established the first
public university in the country
in 1801. (University of North
Carolina claim they are the
oldest)
Originally called Franklin
College - later became the
University of Georgia.
One of the first institutions to
allow women to attend.
24. Who is first?
The debate between UGA and UNC is not
that important, because…
26. Left Side Assignment
“Two Questions”
1. Why did Georgia’s capital move away
from its original location in Savannah and
where did it go?
2. What was significant about the
establishment of the University of
Georgia?
27. Georgia Land Use Notes Check
Write Down “Headright”, “Yazoo Land Fraud”, or “Land Lottery”
to match an answer that best fits each question or statement.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Family members were worth 50 acres each.
Legislators took bribes for the sold land.
It led to a change from small farms to plantations.
It gave the head of a household as much as 200 acres.
Widows and orphans could participate.
It involved land in what is now Mississippi and Alabama.
It led to Georgia’s western border being set at the
Chattahoochee River.
8. You could “draw a blank” and not receive land.
9. It encouraged Revolutionary War veterans to move to Georgia.
10. Four private companies purchased millions of acres.
28. Georgia Capitals, Education, and Religion Quiz
Write true or false for each statement.
1. The third capital of Georgia was established at Louisville.
2. Georgia’s capital was moved from Savannah because it was
too hot there during the summer months.
3. Abraham Baldwin believed that only the wealthy should
receive a higher education.
4. The University of Georgia was established as the first public
university in the country.
5. The original name of Georgia’s first private university was
Franklin College.
6. Churches grew after the Revolutionary War ended.
7. Free Will Baptists believed in missionary work and education.
8. Tent Revivals were a part of the Methodist Church’s effort to
promote religion throughout the state.
9. Tent revivals became important places for people to socialize.
10. A head of a household with a spouse, his mother and two
children could receive up to 350 acres of land with the
Headright System.
